Last Monday, I was honored to attend the celebration in honor of Casimir Pulaski Day at the Polish Museum of America hosted by Rich Owsiany, President of the Polish Museum of America, and Małgorzata Kot, the Museum’s Executive Director. As a state and city holiday , many Polish-Americans use the day to honor the birthday of Pulaski, a Polish-born soldier who made a significant contribution to usher in democracy and independence in this country. He is considered the “father of the American cavalry” and trained American troops before eventually being killed in battle during the Revolutionary War. 

While at this event, we also were thrilled to unveil signage designating Milwaukee Avenue from Sangamon Street in Chicago to Greenwood Road in Niles as the Milwaukee Avenue Polish Heritage Corridor. This designation honors the contributions Polish Americans have made to Illinois for generations. Last year, I spearheaded House Bill 5581 along with now Congresswoman Delia Ramirez to support community interests in designating an artery, Milwaukee Ave., that connects many Polish businesses, cultural institutions, and residents. This law not only recognizes the impact of cultural contributions of the Polish community  to our state but also encourages tourists to visit these areas, support existing businesses, or even attract new stores to the area. Joining the celebration honoring Casimir Pulaski and unveiling the signage for this designation was an amazing full-circle celebratory moment reminding myself and other officials how important visibility and inclusion is for thriving communities across the state.

Last month, State Rep. Will Guzzardi and I visited two local assisted living homes to play bingo and chat with older residents. Read more about our visits here.

Felicitaciones a Brentano Elementary School for an amazing Dia deal Niño celebration organized by the all mighty Parent Mentor Program!

Humboldt Park Health recently broke ground on a new Wellness Center. This facility will be a cornerstone in our community and provide fitness facilities, nutritional classes and more to residents across the area. Read more about the facility here.

Congratulation to all the recent graduates!  I was honored to give the commencement address for the ASPIRA  Business and Finance High School graduates at Northwestern University.

Our Progressive Caucus Legislative Town Hall with Leader Delia Ramirez, State Sen. Omar Aquino, Rep. Will Guzzardi and local organizations was a success! Thank you to all who came out to hear our recap of the spring legislative session and to voice their thoughts. Watch a livestream of the event at http://fb.watch/denF8XP82e

Congratulations to Oswaldo Alvarez, who is now the executive director of the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation. As a resident of the 20^th District, we wish him well in his new role. He previously served as the statewide co-director for Census 2020, and under his leadership, we had the highest response rates in the most populous states.

May 25 was Trauma-Informed Awareness Day, and I was honored to participate in a panel with Illinois ACEs and the Health & Medicine Policy Research group. You can find resources on dealing with trauma here.

Congratulations to Palenque LSNA on their 60th anniversary and name change. The organization serves as a pillar in the community for affordable housing, organizing immigrant services, parent mentor programs, and youth development. 

I am also so thankful to Bickerdike for the completion of Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Apartments, which will provide 100% affordable housing units and allow 100 households to remain in our community and mitigate gentrification.

It's been a busy few weeks! Check out some of the events I went to below.

Groundbreaking of the Milwaukee District North Line Bridge A-32 ReplacementProject and Grayland Metra Station Rehabilatation

Latino Expo with Olympic gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who represented Puerto Rico in track and field, expo producer and constiuent Cesar Rolon, and S.H.E. gallery owner Maria Dulce

Vaccine Clinic with Albany Park Para Todos in collaboration with ASI and the National Hispanic Nursing Association, including 20th District Health Navigator, Susana Gonzalez

Housing Policy Roundtable Meeting

Climate Leadership dinner with Illinois Environmental Council

Climate Champions event with Sen. Feigenholtz and other local leaders